Spotify’s AI Ambitions Divide Indian Musicians Over Creativity and Control (EXCLUSIVE)

At Spotify's recently concluded 2026 Investor Day (May 21), the company announced its vision for its next chapter. Among other updates, the company announced a landmark licensing agreement with Universal Music Group (UMG) for fan-made covers and remixes and the introduction of a "groundbreaking responsible AI tool as a paid add-on for Spotify Premium users.”

This tool, Spotify promised, will create an additional source of income for artists and songwriters. “What we’re building is grounded in consent, credit, and compensation for the artists and songwriters that take part,” said Alex Norström, Co-CEO, Spotify. The idea, he noted, was "to evolve the music ecosystem into a richer, more beneficial experience for fans and a more rewarding outcome for artists and songwriters."

Calling the innovation "pioneering," Sir Lucian Grange, Chairman & CEO, Universal Music Group, noted, “The most valuable innovations in the music business always bring artists and fans closer together. He mentioned that the AI-enabled superfan initiative, is "designed to support human artistry, deepen fan relationships, and create additional revenue opportunities for artists and songwriters... and is firmly artist-centric, rooted in responsible AI, and will drive growth for the entire ecosystem.” 

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Many on social media like Instagram and X didn't share the enthusiasm and the backlash was swift and severe. However, when Variety India spoke to Indian artists across the spectrum -- singer-songwriters, music producers, DJs, musicians -- the mood felt guarded yet largely optimistic and in a beleaguered acceptance of AI being "here to stay." 

Early takes

Singer-songwriter Benny Dayal notes that "while AI is a big concern right now in the music industry, keeping it within Spotify and Universal might not be such a bad idea." He however admits, "I'm definitely still not very on for AI." 

Subir Malik, Founder of Parikrama and the band's keyboardist expresses doubts about the AI tech being "controllable in the long run". He adds, "I would never use AI. I would be cheating my audience if I did. Parikrama is never ever going to be using AI either. He further noted, "For people using it as an assistant, they find that assistance is something else and copying is something else."

Music producer Abhijit Vaghani feels that "unauthorized AI covers are already everywhere and artists are currently gaining nothing from them. Appreciating the attempt to "create accountability", he says, "I'm curious to see how it actually plays out and more importantly, how artists get a real shot at the additional monetization this promises."

DJ/Producer Sartek (aka Saarthak Sardana) calls it "a huge shift for music. AI was already happening unofficially, now labels and streaming platforms are openly entering the space." He is upbeat about the innovation. He observes, "For artists, it can create more reach and new creative opportunities, but also generates a lot more noise and copycat content. I feel artists with a strong identity will survive and grow even more. Because technology can copy style, but it cannot copy real emotion, culture, life experience and personality."

Varun Rajput, Founder and Frontman of Indian rock act Antariksh feels, "While it’s almost impossible to challenge or resist the spread of AI into nearly every sphere of life, I personally don’t see a huge upside for artists in allowing a full-fledged influx of AI slop (with barely any quality checks) onto platforms like Spotify, especially when 1.5 lakh song uploads per day already seem excessive." 

AI: Accept that it’s inescapable?

Benny doesn't feel the use of AI is inescapable, but that "it can be avoided," but that "it needs to be accepted that it exists."

DJ/Producer Sumit Sethi tersely notes, "We cannot stop the AI wave. One has to accept it, music will not stop getting made or getting copied. But we can hope that ethical checks and balances are in place for the artist's welfare."

Sartek believes that "AI is definitely inescapable. Technology always moves forward. But there have to be clear rules around consent, credit and payment for artists. Instead of fighting AI completely, I think artists should understand it early and learn how to use it in a smart way. The people who adapt creatively will stay ahead."

Vaghani believes that the technology is both inescapable and will have to be accepted. "The technology isn't going away... that ship has sailed. But accepting it doesn't mean accepting bad terms," he notes, adding, "We have to understand the details of how it gets implemented. This is the moment to demand transparency and real protections, not after the deal becomes the industry standard."

Rajput retains his guarded stance, noting, "While the marketing currently reads as consensual, more revenue for artists etc., we’ll only see the true picture once more details and royalty rates etc are announced - because so far they don’t appear to be in favour of artists." 

Industry repercussions

With innovation, comes repercussions that ripple through the industry that pave the way forward. Abhijit Vaghani comes from a place of concern where he notes, "This sets the precedent for future conversations on Music x AI. Once this framework is normalized, every other platform and label will probably follow a similar blueprint. Independent artists might feel it the most - I’m guessing they weren’t included in the conversation when the deal was made. If we don’t see real accountability now, the whole industry shifts in a direction that benefits corporations far more than artists."

It's a concern shared by Rajput. "I feel this gives the labels more incentive to not take any risk with newer artists and just churn more for artists who’re already doing well, which in the larger scheme of things I feel is not a great thing for music, when you speak of music as an art form."

Dayal believes, 'There are always going to be repercussions" and "that will lead to chaos. And we need chaos to find true order," he adds. Sartek's take on the matter is that "This can change how music is made, released and consumed. Copyright, royalties and even remix culture will evolve because of this."

A positive, hopeful outlook

The outlook, overall, though is a hopeful one. Says Sumit Sethi, "A lot more people will get to express their ‘creativity’, more music will come out and more options will be made available as long as it’s not hurting artists and is done with respect and ethics. The one thing that won’t change is human-to-human connect, your audience knows that vibe and will make that distinction via pure emotion that music connects us through."

Sartek believes this change will make audiences value authenticity even more. "At the end of the day, people still connect most with real emotion and human stories. I think my genre and the remix culture will probably be one of the first spaces where this becomes huge, because remixing is already deeply connected to our audience and DJ culture."